


Shop Keeping

by often_adamanta



Series: On the Square Universe [1]
Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-05-13
Updated: 2005-05-13
Packaged: 2017-10-22 06:24:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/often_adamanta/pseuds/often_adamanta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Beta'd by the amazing <span class="ljuser ljuser-name_dianadisaster"><a href="http://dianadisaster.livejournal.com/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://dianadisaster.livejournal.com/"><b>dianadisaster</b></a></span></p>
    </blockquote>





	Shop Keeping

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the amazing [](http://dianadisaster.livejournal.com/profile)[**dianadisaster**](http://dianadisaster.livejournal.com/)

Orlando wakes in the morning to the smell of roasting coffee beans.

It sounds romantic. Orli admits it. When he told his sister about the coffee shop next door that roasts it’s own beans, she had to come and check it out. Romantic and exotic, he thinks she said.

She, like everyone else, quickly learned the truth. Roasting coffee beans smells horrible. It’s a willowy, acrid tang that Orli’d be trying to get out of his nose the rest of the day until the great metal roasting vats were finally given a rest.

Not having any control over that, Orli closed the window and his eyes, for at least another half an hour.

\-----

Orlando is living his dream. He owns a cute little bookstore located on the historic square of a cute little town. There’s a coffee shop next door, a deli with fresh baked bread across the street, other stores with trinkets, office supplies, antique furniture. There’s even a store devoted to art and music, which Orli loves to visit in the winter when everything adopts a gray, stark tone.

He lives on the second floor of his bookshop, so when he finally decides to get up, roast day or not, he’s already at work.

Downstairs, he turns on the lights and flips the sign on the door to open. He doesn’t have to open now, two hours before the official time, but he’s awake and there’s always the chance that someone could come in, although the afternoons are always busier.

He might have opened the door to let in customers and springtime, but he remembers the roast smell and thinks that this suits his mood today anyway.

His store is co-owned by two Siamese cats. Two, not one, and brothers, because that way he could call them Siamese twins, as he’d had to explain to his sister. Merry and Pippin were curled up in one of the overstuffed armchairs he had in the store, and he wished them a good morning before settling down to business.

\-----

It’s almost closing time when he shoos his cashier on home and putters around the store in his endless quest to make everything perfect. Several books have fallen off the shelves, which seems to happen of their own volition, but Orlando suspects a more feline explanation.

The door opens and he hurries to the front to greet the customer. He smiles at the slightly grungy form of his next-door neighbor. The smell of roast rolls off of him thicker than the air outside, but Orli fancies he can still catch a hint of cloves and wrinkles his nose in appreciation.

“Stinks, I know,” Elijah smiles, mistaking Orli’s expression for disgust.

“Just a little,” Orli agrees. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Yes. I heard that new romance novel came in.”

“It did. It’s on the bestseller shelf. But, Elijah,” Orli says, cutting off his move toward the tall bookcase, “Angie picked up a copy at lunch.”

“Damn. I was hoping to surprise her.” Elijah sighs in disappointment, then smiles. “Oh, well. At least she’s got it and happy.”

Orlando smiles back politely, ignoring the searing sensation in the pit of his stomach as Elijah made some bit of small talk about the market next week and his girlfriend Angie’s new promotion.

It is a dubious relief when Elijah says goodbye and Orli watches him in the giant, storefront windows walk back along the sidewalk to his coffee. Orli flips the sign to closed and locks the door, deciding to take a long shower before he finishes closing down.

He needs to scrub away the smell of roasting coffee from his nose and skin and the smell of cloves and Elijah from his memory.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at livejournal [here](http://often-adamanta.livejournal.com/67781.html).


End file.
